1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a periphery device that can transmit data to the Internet without host (personal computer or notebook computer), especially relates to a wireless periphery device that can transmit data to the Internet with only local area network server.
2. Description of the Prior Art
If the Internet phone or the video conference is to be performed in a Local Area Network (LAN), as shown in FIG. 1A, the corresponding periphery devices such as camera 103, microphone 104, speaker 102, and monitor must be electrically coupled to the computer 100 (PC or notebook computer). Because the signal sent from the periphery device to the computer must be of an analog format. In order to digitize the signal mentioned above, the interface card proceed with the signal from the periphery device, and then the TCP/IP header is added to the digitized signal mentioned above, thus the frame is obtained. In the following step, the frame is transmitted using radio wave, and the structure of the frame 110 is shown in FIG. 1B.
The access point 105 (FIG. 1A) receives the frame from the computer 100 and converts the received frame to form the frame 120 shown in FIG. 1C. The frame 120 is sent to the Internet 109 through the gateway (not shown in FIG. 1A). Due to the IP address of the destination computer, the frame 120 is sent to the gateway 112 of the local area network 102. Then the access point 160 converts the received packet to the format of the frame 110, and transmitted the converted packet to the computer 128 using radio wave. The computer 128 unpacks the frame (converted packet) to acquire the data inside the frame to transfer to the periphery device. When the signal is transferred from computer 120 to computer 100, the signal can operate according to the principle mentioned above. So the periphery devices of the two computers can transmit data to each other. So the Internet phone and the video conference can be performed in the wireless local area network through Internet.
The structure of the frame that sent by computer 100 is shown in FIG. 1B as the frame 110, in which the data 19 is the data itself. The TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) layer header 117 is provided for the application program to ensure the data can arrive at the computer through the Internet. The IP (Internet Protocol) layer header 115 is used to determine the path that the datagram arrives at the destination computer, to define the Internet""s address, and to implement unpacking as well as reforming of the frame. The MAC (Media Access Control) layer source address 113 is the address in the MAC layer of the source transmitting the frame. In this example shown in FIG. 1A, the MAC layer source address 113 is the hardware address of the network card of computer 100. The MAC layer destination address 111 is the hardware address of the computer""s network card that receiving the frame in the next stage network. In this example shown in FIG. 1A, the MAC layer destination address 111 is the address of the gateway 106 in the MAC layer. The MAC layer access point destination address 11 is the hardware address of the access point""s (105) wireless network card.
After the gateway 106 received the frame 110, the MAC layer source address 113 and the MAC layer destination address 111 are substituted by the MAC layer source address 123 and the MAC layer destination address 121 respectively. The MAC layer source address 123 stands for the address of the source transmitting the frame 120, i.e. the gateway 105""s MAC layer address in this example shown in FIG. 1A. The MAC layer destination address 121 stands for the MAC layer destination address of the host receiving the frame 120 in the next stage. In this example shown in FIG. 1A, the MAC layer destination address 121 represents the gateway 124""s MAC layer address, in which the gateway 124 is within the local area network 116. Gateway 124 transmits the frame 120 to the gateway in the next stage local area network, and the frame is changed in accordance with the forgoing principle, i.e. only the MAC layer address 121 and 123 are substituted.
After the gateway 128 in the local area network 118 has received a frame, the frame 130 shown in FIG. 1D is transmitted by gateway 128. In which the MAC layer destination address 131 is assigned as the MAC layer destination address of the gateway receiving the frame 130 in the next stage. In this example shown in FIG. 1A, the MAC layer destination address 131 is the address of the gateway 112 in the local area network 104. The MAC layer source address 133 represents the address of the source transmitting the frame 130. In this example shown in FIG. 1A, the MAC layer destination address 133 stands for the MAC layer destination address of the gateway 128 in the local area network 118. Gateway 128 transmits the frame 130 to the gateway in the next stage local area network, and the frame is changed in accordance with the forgoing principle, i.e. substitute the MAC layer address 131 and 133 only.
Because the access point 160 has built up a table for the computer communicating with the access point 160. Even the MAC layer destination address is not the MAC layer address of access point 160, the access point 160 will receive the frame that the MAC layer address is the computer""s MAC layer address built in the forgoing table. In addition, a MAC layer access point address 151 is added to the frame mentioned above, and the frame being added with the MAC layer access point address 151 is shown as frame 150 in FIG. 1E.
As shown in FIG. 1E, the MAC layer access point address 151 is the MAC layer address of access point 160. The MAC layer destination address 152 stands for the computer 128""s hardware address, and the MAC layer source address 153 is the MAC layer address of the gateway""s network card that transmitting the frame 150. In this example shown in FIG. 1A, the MAC layer source address 163 is the hardware address of the gateway 112""s network card. The IP (Internet Protocol) layer header 154 and the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) layer header 156 are compared with the address of the computer 128, if they are matched, the frame will be received and processed by the computer 128.
The communicating model used by the prior are of the periphery device is the TCP/IP reference model, which includes five layers respectively defines the function used in the data communication. As shown in FIG. 1F, every layer has a name, and is not confined to one protocol, instead, the data communication function of every layer can be defined by arbitrary protocols. So a plurality of protocols can be included in a layer, every protocol provides one kind of suitable service for the layer. In transmitting the data from the resident application program to the equivalent remote application program, every layer of the TCP/IP reference models is involved. The higher level transmits the data to the bottom layer of the network depends on the lower layer, and the data is transferred downward through the stack of layers one by one, until the data passes the physical layer to the network. Vice versa, the data is transmitted to the remote application program by passing the data upward through the stack of layers one by one.
After the computer 100 has received the data, the five layers of the TCP/IP reference model can be used to illustrate the data transmission. The reference model 140 shown in FIG. 1F includes the application layer 147, which relates to the protocol of the user""s access. The transmission control protocol layer 146 transmits the data between the application layer 147 and the Internet protocol layer 145 when the application program is activated by the user. The Internet protocol layer 145 is used to manage the connection on the network, and to separate the protocol of the upper layer from the trivial details of the bottom layer. The logic link layer 143 cooperates with the media access control layer 142 to maintain the reliability of the data transmission in the bottom physical network. The physical layer 141 defines the characteristic of the hardware that bearing the data transmission signal.
When the data 119 (FIG. 1B), is transmitted toward the bottom layer, the added header is adder by the five layers of the TCP model, in order to illustrate the principle, 11, 111, 113, 115, and 117 in FIG. 1B are illustrated for example. The TCP layer header 117 is added by the application layer 146 shown in FIG. 1F. The IP layer header 115 (FIG. 1B) is added by the Internet protocol layer 145 (FIG. 1F). The MAC layer address 113, 111 and 11 are added by the media access control layer 142 (FIG. 1F).
The five layers of the TCP model is used in the core of the operation system and the wireless network card of the computer 100. Whereas if the data acquired by the camera 103, the microphone 101 and the speaker 102 is to be sent to the Internet, the all of the periphery devices mentioned above must be connected to the computer 100 first, then the data can be transmitted to the Internet. So it is not convenient for the user to utilize the periphery devices in a wireless local area network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the periphery device in the prior art, the periphery device has to couple to the computer, then the signal acquired by the periphery device can be transmitted to the Internet through a LAN (Local Area Network). So the present invention proposes apparatus for transmitting a signal from a periphery device to an Internet through a wireless local area network, the apparatus includes the following devices.
Firstly, the converting device is used to transmit the signal between the local area network and the Internet using pack exchanging. Thus the frame is briefer than that used in the prior art. The frame is transmitted between the periphery device and the local area network with the frame of a brief structure. The converting device is used to process a MAC (Media Access Control) layer header of the signal and add a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet protocol) layer header to the signal. Thus the signal can be transmitted to the Internet. The converting device processes the MAC layer header of the signal and remove the TCP/IP layer header from the signal, thus the signal is transmitted to the periphery device. The converting device includes a First MAC header processing device and a network card. The signal from the Internet to the periphery device is removed of the TCP/IP layer header, and firstly pass the network card then pass the First MAC header processing device. The signal from the periphery device to the Internet is added with the TCP/IP layer header, and firstly pass the First MAC header processing device then pass the network card. The First MAC header processing device is a virtual device driver (Vxd) that belongs to a level of a core of an operation system.
Second, the converting device is used as the bridge between the wireless local area network and the local area network. The transceiving device is a bridge of the wireless local area network and local area network coupling to the Internet.
Third, the transceiving device is used to transmit the signal to the converting device through the wireless local area network. The transmitting periphery device is used to transmit a first output frame to the transceiving device. Thus the first output frame is sent to the converting device through the wireless local area network.
Fourth, the receiving periphery device is used to receive the signal from the converting device.